USCG ballast water regulations and US EPA Vessel General Permit (VGP) are currently enforced for discharging ballast water to waters of the U.S. The IMO Ballast Water Management Convention is close to ratification and will likely be ratified soon. One year following ratification of the IMO BWM Convention, ballast water discharge standards will require major changes in the operations for most ships worldwide. This discussion provides the current status of USCG ballast water discharge standards implementation and an update to the IMO BWM Convention as it moves towards ratification.

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